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    Clara Sola

    Directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
    Costa Rica/Sweden/Belgium/Germany | 106 minutes | Awards Buzz – Best International Feature Film

  • View Trailer

    Clara Sola

    Directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
    Costa Rica/Sweden/Belgium/Germany | 106 minutes | Awards Buzz – Best International Feature Film

In this mystical feature debut, a sheltered 40-year-old woman attempts to unshackle herself from the social and religious customs that have held her back while living with her strict mother in a remote Costa Rican village.

In competition for the FIPRESCI Prize and the Ibero-American Award.

film synopsis

Set in a picturesque village in a remote part of Costa Rica, this mystical feature debut elegantly captures a sheltered 40-year-old woman's coming of age, as she attempts to unshackle herself from the social and religious customs that have held her back. Exquisitely brought to life by dancer Wendy Chinchilla Araya in her screen debut, Clara is a reluctant faith healer rumored to have been visited by The Virgin years prior, with a deep connection to the nature that surrounds her. Still living with her strict Catholic mother, Clara helps her more liberated teenage niece María prepare for her quinceañera, but complications mount when Clara starts connecting with María's new boyfriend. Costa Rican-Swedish writer-director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén — whose short Filip was an award winner at Palm Springs International ShortFest 2016 — utilizes the breathtaking scenery and her cast of nonprofessional actors with striking precision as she explores sexuality, religion and liberty through three generations of women.

film details

Director: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
Producers: Nima Yousefi, Alan McConnell, Géraldine Sprimont, Anne-Laure Guégan, Karina Avellan Troz, Marcelo Quesada Mena
Screenwriter: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Maria Camila Arias
Cinematographers: Sophie Winqvist
Editor: Marie-Hélène Dozo
Music: Ruben De Gheselle
Cast: Wendy Chinchilla Araya, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, Flor María Vargas Chaves
Country: Costa Rica/Sweden/Belgium/Germany
Language: In Spanish with English subtitles.
Year: 2021
Running Time: 106 minutes
Awards: Grand Jury Prize - New Directors Competition, Nashville Film Festival; Young People’s Jury Award, Reykjavik International Film Festival
Primary Company: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Contact Email: Cameron@oscilloscope.net
Website: http://www.luxboxfilms.com/clara-sola

Film Festival 2022